Dorset residents are being asked to take part in a survey on whether they are willing to pay more for policing.

The police precept is the amount residents pay as part of their council tax and is used towards paying for local policing services.

Dorset Police sits second from bottom in a table of 41 forces for funding. This means a more significant proportion of the force’s funding has to come from this tax.

David Sidwick, Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: "Asking you, the residents of Dorset for more of your hard-earned money for the policing precept is not something I wanted to do.

"While I know £13 a year - £1.08 a month for a Band D household – may not seem like a lot to some people, I want you to know that I recognise it is more pressure on your household budgets and incomes at a time when everyone is feeling the pinch.

"However, I want to be clear. While the government’s limit of £13 is the most we can ask for this year, in Dorset it is below what’s really needed to support the force in the work they are doing. 

"This year, due partly to the rate of inflation now and throughout the past 12 months, we need £13 a month just to be able to maintain a ‘stand still point’.

"That’s why in my survey, I am asking if theoretically you might be prepared to pay more. The reason I am asking this is purely hypothetical.

"I want to be able to show the government that people in Dorset value policing and know our force is underfunded and needs more.

"Your views and support will help me demonstrate that our police force in Dorset needs more money from a fairer deal."

He added: "I am honoured to represent the residents of Dorset and want to assure you that I do not take it for granted. I’m fighting to make Dorset the safest county for all of us and achieving a better funding deal is integral to that."

The full statement can be read online at https://bit.ly/3H98HmH

To complete the survey visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/Precept24OPCCWebsite